NFC Championship Game

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Packers coach Mike McCarthy made it official Thursday, announcing that he is relinquishing his job calling plays for Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay offense. The decision was part of a significant shake-up on that side of the ball, where the Packers led the NFL in scoring in 2014 and Rodgers won his second most valuable player award. McCarthy is handing off the play-calling duties to Tom Clements, whom he promoted from offensive coordinator to associate head coach. Edgar Bennett was named offensive coordinator, while Bennett's responsibilities as the wide receivers coach were given to Alex Van Pelt, who'll now coach both quarterbacks and...

Related "NFC Championship Game" Articles

You had to click, didn’t you? That headline was just too juicy to ignore. And not only juicy, but totally legitimate.
Well, legitimate depending on how you define the word “consider.”
Allow us to explain.
Next Monday in Arizona, NFL teams will...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Packers coach Mike McCarthy made it official Thursday, announcing that he is relinquishing his job calling plays for Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay offense.
The decision was part of a significant shake-up on that side of...

What are the chances the Bears pursue Ndamukong Suh in free agency? -- @JMarwitz
The longer you follow the league, the more you learn to not be surprised. With that being said, I don’t think making a huge splash with Suh would make a lot of sense for the...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Ann Mara, the matriarch of the NFL's New York Giants for the past 60 years, has died. She was 85.
Giants co-owner John Mara announced his mother's death on Super Bowl Sunday. Ann Mara slipped in front of her home in Rye, New...

Sunday's clash between the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will draw millions of fans around the world and tens of thousands in our area to their TV sets and to house parties to enjoy the NFL's annual spectacle.
Of course, sports bars and other places fans...

Greetings, and welcome to the Super Bowl column I'm constitutionally obligated to write because I'm a journalist and the Super Bowl is Sunday and that's all we're allowed to write about.
(This requirement was added to the First Amendment in 1968,...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jim Tomsula made his modest head coaching start in NFL Europe, then landed as the 49ers' top man nearly a decade later.
San Francisco promoted its longtime defensive line coach to head coach Wednesday, going with a familiar face...

The Chicago Bears' search for a new head coach entered its third week Monday with new general manager Ryan Pace diving back into business and recalibrating to take control of the process. And with five head coaching positions still open around the NFL,...

Marc Trestman was fired Monday morning, with most of his staff, the fourth set of offensive coaches quarterback Jay Cutler has worked with since joining the Bears in 2009, presumably soon to depart.
Former general manager Jerry Angelo famously said...

Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith was fired Monday after completing a 6-10 campaign in 2014 and going 10-22 the past two seasons.
"Smitty's contributions to our club, team and city over the last seven years are numerous," owner Arthur Blank...

Charles Barkley felt bad for Jay Cutler following the news that the Bears’ quarterback had been benched for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. And yes, the NBA Hall of Famer and TNT NBA analyst knows he’s in the minority.
“It’s unfortunate, man,”...

With the 49ers wanting to trade Jim Harbaugh at the end of the season, don't you think the Bears should try trading for him? He played for the Bears and he's a much better coach than Marc Trestman. -- Anthony, Salinas, Calif., from email
I don’t know...

Jared Allen knew the dysfunction had become irreversible, the drama too great to steer clear of.
Allen's team, which entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, had hit a frustrating skid, the tension intensifying after each new failure.
The...

Welcome back to “The Blitz Package,” your weekly destination for notable news, nuggets and intriguing Chicago Bears storylines. This week’s topic: a look at what’s ahead for a floundering team.
As a competitor, Aaron Rodgers can be downright vicious,...

In 1979, the Bears made defensive end Al Harris a first-round draft pick (9th overall), out of Arizona State. Harris wound up playing 11 NFL seasons, nine with the Bears and his final two with the Eagles. At 6-5, 250 pounds, Harris was agile and athletic....

It's comical to imagine the Bears can exact fierce revenge Sunday against the Packers at Soldier Field. Even an Old Testament-style "smiting" by the home team isn't going to return any yesterdays or erase past disaster.
With apologies to sports...

Yeah, I figured the Bears' season was over when they choked the opener against the Bills in overtime at home.
Ultimately, it still might be over because of that horrible loss to a bad team. As convenient as it is to point to that embarrassment against...

Welcome back to “The Blitz Package,” your weekly destination for notable news, nuggets and intriguing Chicago Bears storylines. This week’s topic: the dreaded jaunt to the San Francisco Bay area.
The Bears’ first road trip of the season could not be more...

It’s just as well that Jordan Palmer was cut Sunday because if the Bears' backup battle had come down to the final exhibition game in Cleveland, the loser was going to be forced to stay there.
Clausen was going to win the job because he’s the one who...

Top national Republicans held their summer meeting in Chicago today in a symbolic defiance to hometown President Barack Obama, Illinois’ blue-state status and Democrats who control the Senate, and vowed an expensive and expansive mid-term campaign to gain...